How do you know him?

What stories can you tell me about your Santa?

Sopa Portuguesa

Caldo Verde

Being Portuguese means you're fed lots of soup as a young one. I've grown to love many traditional dishes, especially this one, Caldo Verde, which I attempt to make without the chourico found in the Portuguese pastelarias. Yum.

The cow didn't jump over the moon...

The moon hid behind the earth's shadow in last night's lunar eclipse. The alarm clock sounded at 2:30 am and the gang stepped outside for a sight not to take place again for 7 years.

Blessing Thee

When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, ... If the person is poor, you shall not sleep in the garment given you as the pledge. You shall give the pledge back by sunset, so that your neighbor may sleep in the cloak and bless you; and it will be to your credit before the Lord your God.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13

Glory

Silver Lake Beach, NJ

I hope to one day live in a place resembling this, where the ocean is right outside the window.

To be or not to be...

... in the picture. Gosh, and I mean it in so many ways... :-(

Crochet

An Iberian tradition transplanted to Elizabeth, NJ.

It was my mother's passion for a very long time. Now it's time to preserve what I have of her creations.

The University

It was really just one more place where I was afraid to make my own mold. I did learn all about descriptive, detailed, and objective documentation, an essential skill in social work.

Can the words come alive...?

Images and thoughts ... Making them words is an insurmountable task...

Twisted Humor

:-)

No restraints

A sweet, natural beach in NJ, where the sun toasts the skin and the sand is sensory delight.

Sights I love...

... the kind that make endorphins flow.

The context of architecture

There is an almost bizarre contrast between this western city I live in and the one I lived in previously. When I see my surroundings with a visual recorder's eye, I categorize things. Here are some of the old brick buildings I found sprinkled in the urban areas that surround Newark, NJ.

Tastebud Heaven - Flavors of Portugal

Sumol e pao

Carne grelhada com arroz e vegetais

Camaroes com batatas e arroz

Bacalhau cozido com grao e batata

Ahh! (sigh) I had a blast eating Portuguese food on this trip to NJ. Eating old, familiar foods, otherwise unavailable in the west, was thirst quenching. What's even better, is sitting in a very rustic, miniscule restaurant, in the bairro, savoring these traditional riches.

Saying Goodbye

In NJ.

A lifetime is over

She was born here

She started a family here...

lived here...

and ended here.

Adeus, cara mae.

Pondering...

The function of prayer is not to establish a routine; it is to establish a relationship with God who is in relationship with us always.... The function of prayer is to bring us into touch with ourselves, as well. To the ancients, "tears of compunction" were the sign of a soul that knew its limits, faced its sins, accepted its needs, and lived in hope.
- Joan Chittister
Quoted in Essential Monastic Wisdom, by Hugh Feiss

Fading

Emmy Taylor

Loving metaphors

Alexandra speaks about finding her groove in the making of jewelry. I relish in expressing my self with the use of pictures as metaphors. I've photographed fire hydrants all around NJ as symbols of corked expressions. A broken sunflower represents a broken spirit, sand castles on the beach represent childhood imagination and fulfillment. And so on. My mind sees pictures as metaphors. It is clear to me now.

Mango and sardines - a metaphor. Can you guess what for?

Cliches

I deeply dislike cliches. They are like boxes used to entrap people and often used by the uncreative, inattentive, and those unwilling to take the time to listen, see, and get to know creation around them. There is great beauty in individuality. I always look for the jewel in the person, the situation, the system. They are often called flaws by those obsessed with scripted lives. I find the flaw to be the heart shinning through.